Here’s How to Achieve the Perfect Shave

Despite many male actors sporting five o’clock shadows, a quick glance around suggests clean-shaven faces are making a comeback, along with straight razors.

A vintage illustration of a man shaving with a straight razor. X3A Collection/Alamy Stock Photo

Men have been searching for the perfect shave for millennia. The earliest razors have been found in fourth-millennium-B.C. Egyptian tombs—and were made of solid gold and copper.

While today’s razors are not quite that extravagant, the attention dedicated to men’s grooming has not abated. Statistica reported that at least 78 percent of men aged 18 and older shave at least once per week, while WebMD said that the average man spends 3,000 hours of his lifetime shaving.